All about life and living.

I have lived in the city of Hyderabad for most of my working life – close to 7 years now. You would think, after staying here all this time, I would develop at least some fond feelings for the city. Well, to be honest, I was happy to pack my bags and get going from here a few years ago to Seattle, US. But what do you know? Life ( job actually, not mine, the hubby’s) brings me back right here.

Why this sudden rant about the city? Well, when you are working, kind of a 9 – 9 job, then where you stay does not matter a whole lot. Okay, okay, it does somewhat, but you are too pooped out at the end of the day and only want to hit the sack anyway.

Life changes when you don’t have that 9-9 job. For one, you are more in touch with whats happenning outside the glass and chrome buildings.

And thats I, for one, realized how little the city has to offer. Die-hard Hyderabadis may beg to differ. Well, I beg to differ with them.

Lets start with one of the best things good cities can offer – good food. The lesser said about the gourmands out here, the better. You have only to look, and what you see on offer are buffets. All you can eat meals, – no mention of what you are eating mind you. Its all about how much you can heap your plate. And if it is with oily Biryani, all the better. Heap some more. And finish off with dessert buffets of the usual humdrum chocolate cakes etc. etc. This is supposed to be a cosmopolitan city, and what do you have to offer? Apart from the Biryani, which was handed down from the Nizams, do we have a single speciality restaurant worth their name in this city? Chain restaurants is the best we can manage it seems. ( okay, I can name a few. But only a very few, mind you. One of two Thai, one new Bengali restaurant).

Okay, now that we have had our fill of Andhra thalis, which I don’t mind once in a while, but really is over-fried and over-spiced, lets get on to the entertainment bit.

For that, what you have is a wide and varied choice – of third rate movies at any of the multi-plexes. And Hyderabad has the most number of movie halls in the country, you’re bound to get a ticket for some movie somewhere. Though you may have to try hard, Hyderabadis will watch anything, and I mean anything.

Bad luck for anybody who’d rather watch a play, or something humdrum like that. There is one happenning every quarter, so you have to squeeze out every ounce of entertainment you can from that one play you do get to see. Like we did when Anupam Kher came to town, maybe, 3 months back. Since then, nothing, Nada. Zilch.

Okay, so there are the so-called Lounge bars. Okay, so Hyderabadi women have finally learnt to dress themselves ( though the other day I actually spotted somebody in a dress with skulls on it!!) , but what about the men? When, oh when, will they learn??

I can go on. Oh please, somebody tell me some redeeming feature of the city. Even the lovely rocks and the grandeur of the Golconda and Qutb Shahi tombs are gone with the high-rises around Hi-Tech city area. Green Hyderabad never was, and the highest point in the city, according to some hiking enthusiastic friends, is actually a Dargah in secunderabad area which is on a single-rock, about 100 steps and you are at the top.

There must be Hyderabadis out there who feel enough for their city to point out its niceties. If so, please let us onto the secret.

And please don’t say Golconda again. We are talking about living culture here.

Okay, there are two ways to approach this getting-to-know-a-city business: one way is to be a consumer. This involves looking out for listing in the newspaper for the latest movie/place to eat/shopping district. It is also the easiest way to become discontent, because as everyone knows, all cities are becoming the same in this.

The second way is to get out of one’s comfort zone and look where nobody’s pointing you. This means you might find what you weren’t expecting, but you’re okay with that as well.

So how often have you been to the old city? Laad Bazaar? Badi Chowdi? Sultan Bazaar? General Bazaar? (The Delhi 6 parts of Hyderabad, yes? They rock.) Did you go to Secunderabad to see those cannon balls they dug out, that date back a couple of hundred years?

And the film clubs? (Moving Images and the Hyderabad Film Club to name only two).

There’s a SPIC MACAY concert at the UoH this evening. The Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation’s theatre festival is to begin in a few days. The Alliance Francaise and the Goethe Zentrum constantly have films, art programmes, civic society discussions/workshops. What about those?

The Children’s Film Festival that happens every other year in Hyderabad begins in November.

There are organisations like ASHA that work entirely on a volunteer basis and work in the areas of education etc. There’s ANVESHI that works with women.

And there’s always the fail-safe Expat Association (you only need to have lived abroad a little to join up.)

So there’s actually plenty happening but you need to put a toe out and get on peoples’ mailing lists so you know what is happening and when (if you’re interested in these things at all, of course).

And I’ve invited you for everything I’ve been involved in – book releases, readings, film workshops – but you’ve never been in town!

Sorry if I’ve been a little harsh, but this really sounds like you’re complaining without actually looking, and just wishing as if you were elsewhere – that’s fine, of course, but it’s not Hyderabad’s fault.

Well, if anything, this gives me a good list to go by. Yes, have been to the old city, multiple times, 3-4 times in the last couple of months alone. Loved shopping at Laad Bazaar. Gone to Golconda too more than a few times. And really, I am not complaining about Old Hyderabad – its got plenty of stuff. Its the new Hyderabad I am ranting a bit about.
The Qadir Ali Baig Foundation’s Theater festival is great, but one thing I’ve noticed – it seems to be the only theater group thats consistently putting up plays. Last one I went to was also by them. Its a step in the right direction, and I for one am happy.
I found the Goethe Zentrum films to be very very specialised and technical – and more documentary like.
As you said, you really need to be “in” to get to know about the stuff. It all seems to be happenning in some small circle.
Its like what I was telling Appa is the difference between Florence and Rome – in Rome, the art is there for everybody to see and appreciate, in Florence its all inside. Happenning in galleries. In the case of Hyderabad, happening in some chosen circles.
Part of the problem. ANd of course, there’s the food 🙂

I beg to differ with you on the food front! Hyderabad is a true delight for any non-vegetarian! But, to enjoy the food, you have to develop a taste for it.
I am not talking about the plethora of restaurants which has opened in the Hitec city just to cash in on the techies coming for buffet lunch.. If you want to enjoy true hyderabadi cuisine, go to Mehdipatnam, . And if you still did not like the food, sorry you just haven’t developed the taste to appreciate it.. Btw I am not a Hyderabadi myself but I love the laid back culture of the city and its cuisines.
~Mini

Well, the problem is its only Hyderabadi cuisine. One would think there would be more options, with a city teeming with outsiders now, no?
And I have eaten at the Four Seasons and another place that serves Turkish food in Mehdipatnam. I liked both. But again – anything apart from Hyderabadi food?

Now we are talking… First of all it depends on what kind of cuisine you prefer..

There is this TEX MEX restaurant in Jubilee Hills(It shares its space with Shikaar)which serves highly indianised version of mexican food.. Its a safe bet at any given point in time.. In the same building on 2nd floor is coco, which has a terrace garden restaurant.. They serve nice drinks and has a continental menu..

For Italian, I dont think I need to tell you about Indijoe, but I prefer Little Italy more.. It is in Jubilee Hills and their Sunday brunch is just awesome! It is a vegetarian restaurant though…

I dont know any Thai joint here in Hyderabad, if you find any, please let me also know…

If you are ready to spend more, I think you can get whole lot of variety in Novotel (Sunday Brunch is awesome again), Taj Deccan and in Ista gachibowli.. I don’t know about the quality of food at these places, since I’ve never been to any of these. But they come up with different food festivals like Thai,Lebanese etc.

I would rant about the food too. And my peeve is that there’s hardly variety here. Wherever you go, you’ll get the same kind of food. And if you are a vegetarian, as I turned last year, you’re done for!
The culture scene isn’t great either. There aren’t too many places to go to, even Hussain Sagar stinks.
I’m not a person who’ll label a city as good or bad, every place is just a place – with its own quirks. The best part about Hyderabad is that it is comparatively inexpensive (depending on how you live) – which means a lot for someone who has quit his job 🙂

Not saying Hyderabad is “bad”, but only commenting on the non-cosmopolitan nature of the city, though one could argue that Mumbai and Delhi are probably the only truly cosmopolitan cities in India. The only other place probably is Pondicherry, but it is more a mish-mash of Indianness and French legacy than cosmopolitan.
I added a link to your blog where you have detailed activities in Hyd. Nicely compiled list!

You forget about restaurant food. Can you get a proper breakfast in DELHI? If so tell me. I lived in DELHI for 3 years, we always get only ALOO PARANTHA and some times PURI SUBZI(that too on road soad on drainages)… this is the life style of DELHI or north India. In hyd,e very nook and corner you will hygeinic breakfast..(only thing you can get in North india as breakfast is paan paraag)…. people there survive on this.

first of all think about basic amenities, you can find Breakfast centres, tea points, xerox, internet, telephone, juices, bakeries and other basic amenities in every nook and corner in HYD/BLR. Its very difficult to find these things in North India…its not my words… even Mumbaikers also felt the same at DELHI.

hyderabad indeed sucks.for a vegetarian like me it doesnt offer anything less than angeeti,sholay,punjabi by nature and nobody can feed daily here and put a hole in their pockets.affordable,quality veg restaurants r so less.not to mention about the crazy driving and lack of wide roads in some of the main areas where traffic flows…i hate this place

yeah man. We are here jus because of our work. We want to go back asap. Me going this year end. Yeah i know every one want to go back his native place. But the this we ward talking here is “i don like ur city ” i stayed in mumbai .delhi.. They were awesome. Ur this city is not even worth to “its ok we came stay ” and for vegies its horrible here. People here don know any thing apart from “pappu”

The city at once was good bro. Govt also plays an important role. There was a Govt earlier which was driving the business sector well but unfortunately it it lost in the elections and there came a govt soaked in corruption. All the hard work had gone in vain and now me, a hyderabadi feels the city has gone to the dogs.

Hate to be hyderabadi ladies and girls are having no rights and forced by males in anything’s and many ways and eating food always and nothing else they know why i did ever born here and my family too idiots

Women’s don’t have any rights as well as all females . If females are able to do something they would avoid it and ask males considering themselves as having less power in comparrission of males . There are very romers this city they are old ladies as a detective and knowing everything in their neighbours . Very rare beautiful females are found in this city from which many the,m are not hyderabadis . Men’s are always forcing females in many ways and things . The hyderabadis are always eating and nothing else and wearing new clothes they don’t know more than this . Males think themselves as kings the jewel of the crown this males are studying for jobs and income nothing else idiots

And nothing new can be found in this city . And the old cities are really disgusting .females are not allowed to wear western clothes and say bad about it . But males wear every time wear western clothes and showing their bumps shape{ idiots }
{NOTHING GOOD CAN BE SAID ABOUT HYDERABADIS } bumpholes 0

I am from Delhi and stayed in Hyderabad for around 4 years. I am vegetarian and I have no complaints as such with Hyderabadi food. I have tried various theme based restaurants from Ohri and all of them have good food. I am in Pune now and I can definitely say people are more cooperative in Hyderabad. Also the city is low cost and has many places to visit near by. I do not know why so much negativity about Hyderabad when almost every city has its own share of problems. In Pune being Non-Marathi itself will lead to lots of problems, so my vote still goes for Hyderebad.

I actually googled “i hate hyderabad” and Got this post in the results. Clearly I hate hyderabad. Though I appriciate your SEO techniques and lured me in to your post with your title. It seems like you hate hyderbad because it failed to offer different cuisines? And, you hate it for not having more places to visit? There are bigger problmes in hyderbad like public defecation like urination and spitting pan all over the walls and floors. Traffic rules? Roads? Hygene? Please write something that is useful. I recently moved to hyd after staying in USA for 8yrs. I ate Sushi, Thai, Chinese, American, Mexican American, Italian, Mediteranian, Andhra, Rayalseema. This is what I ate in hyd and it tastes awesome. Do u need names of the restaurant? Do u know how many beautiful parks and amusement parks we have? ask me for the list! As per ur post u were behind glass most of the tome in hyd and that makes u unqualified for this post.

> T commented: “I actually googled “i hate hyderabad” and Got this post in > the results. Clearly I hate hyderabad. Though I appriciate your SEO > techniques and lured me in to your post with your title. It seems like you > hate hyderbad because it failed to offer different c” >